Internet Gambling Proposal Dead This Year

Congress will not consider legalizing Internet gambling in 2012, according to Senate leaders and gambling proponents. Internet casino proponents told the Las Vegas Review Journal that they are ceasing their current push for legalization in 2012.

Senate leader Harry Reid, who had been one of the primary pushers of possible legislation on the matter, told the paper that Congress has “simply run out of time in this legislative calendar.” Reid reasserted that he and Sen. Dean Heller “remain committed to this issue and it will be a priority for us in the new Congress.”

Nearly a dozen states have expressed interest in exploring legalizing Internet gambling in 2013.

The efforts are opposed by states that already allow Internet gambling, some Indian tribes, some lottery vendors, the National Governors Association, and church groups.